Have any Pfaff owners found it particularly difficult to get parts for their machines? One sewing machine shop repairman said it took a long time to get parts, but as he is also a Bernina dealer I thought I'd check before taking him at face value.

Well, that depends on the age of the machine. Vintage machines of many brands are going to be a parts search, but parts are usually found. New machines - you probably don't need parts! :)

When dealers starts telling you 1. how hard it is for his competition to get parts, 2. how cheaply his competition is built or 3. anything that makes a competitive brand look bad, then watch out. That dealer should be talking about HIS OR HER product, and selling it to you on its merits 0 surely Bernina has plenty of merits for selling points. :)

And dealers have a way of sidling up to you and making you think they are telling YOU, and not everyone of course, these little trade secrets. Beware of that type - car lot salesmen from the 50s and 60s....There should be nothing they don't tell everyone. Happy hunting!

That's because of the age of the machine. None the less some parts for these old machine are available on eBay, and my tech has been able to get the one gear (pretty fast too) I needed for my Pfaff which is older than yours, so parts shouldn't be an issue in buying a machine unless it is old. The OP never said if this came up in a discussion of old machines are at a dealer as a selling point of the whatever brand he/she was selling. I waited quite a time for a foot pedal for my 1199, but that was inherited, I didn't buy it.

One thing though - don't buy an old Pfaff without a foot pedal working and a cord because that is hard to locate the correct thing for from time to time - although again - there are dealers who specialize in this area. Brubaker's in PA is often mentioned, and I have purchased from them. Good people.

Perhaps this is not a brand specific issue? The foot pedal on my mom's 1984 Bernina 930 died. I went to the dealer where I bought my serger, a Babylock. Her husband is a great tech. She said let's see if we can find a pedal, be patient they can go for $300 and up. The original machine cost was about $450. Within a week I got a call. Have got a 930 and was going to sell, but decided to sell you the foot and use the rest for parts. OK, $25 and don't tell my husband. BTW on eBay that week a 930 went for $1,400!

As many here have said the dealer and relationship is the key to sewing peace of mind. This woman is incredibly honest about likes and dislikes on her brand- Babylock. And also she will bend over backwards to help anyone regardless of which brand they use. No judgments. She also never jumps to pushing TOL when I've been looking to buy. Trustworthy comes to mind.

------Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them. Andy Rooney

The one point foot pedal for the Pfaff 1472 (or even 1471, 1475, 7550, or 7570) does not have to be that specific at all. I use and share the same foot pedals between both my Pfaff 1475 (which has the same foot peal as all of those) and even my old Singer XL1000 machine too. Sometimes I use the Singer XL1000 foot pedal on both machins and sometimes I use the Pfaff 1475 foot pedal on both machines. Just since I'm lazy and don't need or always even want both foot pedals out then.

I actually started doing that (using mine interchangeable with each other that way) one day when I bent up my little copper contact strip in my Pfaff 1475 foot pedal (it got jammed under the metal lip of a cast iron singer 66 sitting on the floor there- sign of too many machines probably) and it was too far gone bent, for me to re-bend that little copper piece inside and I did not want to bother to go get that strip replaced just that day. I'm sure that is not the only compatible switchero kind of foot pedal you can interchange there there at all either, but I do use those two back and forth that way at my house just back and forth when ever I feel like it, just fine.

P.S. My Pfaff Dealer replaced my copper contact strip in there for $5, and it took them maybe 3-4 minutes tops. Not saying yours would do that for you, that quick or cheap, but not saying yours would not either. I had over the years, bought a lot of embroidery designs and other things in that store, so I was a good customer, possibly they might have charged someone else a little more.
-- Edited on 10/2/13 1:08 AM -- -- Edited on 10/2/13 1:39 AM --

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